Ebola threatens gold mining companies

Deutsche Bank warns that the further spread of the deadly Ebola fever in Africa makes gold miners the most vulnerable in the current situation. Among the gold mining companies operating on the continent, Randgold Resources is particularly vulnerable as the company's production is entirely concentrated in West and Central Africa.

In an in-depth analysis of the likely impact of the disease, the bank concludes that Nordgold and AngloGold Ashanti are also struggling, with 57 percent and 53 percent of their present value in the worst-affected region.

Iron ore and aluminum producers and oil companies also have some complications. ArcelorMittal owns iron ore assets in both Guinea and Liberia, Vedanta Resources is present in Liberia, and African Minerals has a mine in Sierra Leone. ExxonMobil has announced the postponement of the operation off the coast of Liberia until the Ebola pandemic ends.

The Texas Oil Company has a number of projects in West Africa, including the recently acquired 80 percent stake in a project off the coast of Liberia with Canada's Overseas Petroleum. The first case of Ebola outside Africa was discovered when US citizen Thomas Eric Duncan arrived from Liberia and is now in a hospital in Dallas, Texas.

Germany has confirmed a second case of Ebola in a West African man who flew to Frankfurt and was admitted to the isolation ward of a university hospital. According to the latest figures from the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), 7,178 Ebola cases have been confirmed, of which 3,338 are fatal.